Spool holder



March 10, 1936. WELLS AL 2,033,214

SPOOL HOLDER Filed Dec. 8, 1934 INVENTORS He Zen We [is Bic/Iowa 6'. Fri so/1e ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 10, 1936 SPOOL HOLDER Helen Wells and Richard C. Fritsche, New York, N. Y.

Application December 8, 1934, Serial No. 756,580

1 Claim.

Among the principal objects which the present invention has in view are: to provide an improve-d means to securely hold a spool, and prevent the spool from becoming dislodged when inverting the container in which it is placed; to provide a plurality of holders to a base to fit within a container whereby a number of spools may be shipped without injury to the spools; to provide a three-point retaining means for holding the 10 spool; and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a container with the 5 cover removed and showing a. plurality of spools held therein by the invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional View of the same taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 and showing the cover thereon; and

9 Figure 3 is an enlarged elevation of the spool holder before applying a spool thereto.

Description As seen in the drawing, it will be noted that our invention is to a spool holder particularly adapted to be used in a container wherein any number of spools may be held and/or shipped without causing damage or fear of one or more spools becoming disengaged by inverting the container on removal of the cover. Also, it has been found convenient for display purposes and use by dressmakers, and can be easily placed in sewing machine drawers with-out necessarily putting the container therein right-side up. 35 In carrying out the invention there is shown a container or box I6 having side walls I I, a bottom wall I2 and a cover I3. Said container may be of any size or shape and for shipping purposes such as for shipping large quantities of spools, the container or box may be of considerable depth thereby accommodating a number of rows of holders without damaging the rows which may be underneath.

In the present showing we have shown a preferred form of holder It as mounted to a base I5, said base preferably being of a suitable size to be fitted within the box or container ill and adjacent the bottom wall !2 thereof. Should, for any reason, the container or box become 5 mutilated the base l with holders M may be easily removed and placed in a container of a similar size. The holder it as clearly shown in Figure 3, may be made secure to the base I5 as by inserting the lower ends or legs I6, I6 through the thickness of the base a sufiicient distance thereby permitting the projecting ends of the legs to be turned up and outward and pressed into the lower bottom wall of the base so as to be flush therewith. With the legs I6, I6, thus disposed in the base, it will be readily noted that the holder I4 will be in an upright position and ready to receive a spool thereon.

The construction of the holder I4 is preferably of steel spring wire and bent to present a threepoint engagement for the spool when inserted thereon. One form of holder is illustrated as bent from a single length of wire, having a middle reverting bend I! which, in use, constitutes the outer or free end of the holder. The bent wire thus provides the two legs I6, l6, broadly similar to a conventional hair-pin, but with the following difierences. Each leg is bent inwardly at two points I8, I9, intermediate of its length, so as to obtain a third mid-point or bend 20 at the opposite side of the holder, the portions of wire 2| from bends I8 to bends 20 of the two legs crossing at 22 on a mid-line or longitudinal axis of the holder, and similarly, portions of wire 23 from bends 9 to bends 20 of the two legs crossing at 24 on the same mid-line or axis. The angularity of the crossing portions 2| and 23 enable the legs to have lateral as well as longitudinal resiliency when introduced into the central bore of the usual spool.

The lower portions 25 of the legs preferably taper somewhat toward each other in a direction toward the base I5, thus not only tending to keep the legs from sliding with respect tothe base, but also obtaining substantially .a point contact at bend I 9 with the spool 26, and obtains a resilient pressure against the spool upon the holder I4. The lower ends of the legs l6, I6 are turned laterally to form feet 21, which, as explained above, may preferably be embedded in the under side of the base.

While the base I5 herein shown is depicted as a card separable from the container, it is to be understood that the invention likewise contemplates use of the holders in any desired assembly with the box or card, and thus the holder may be directly attached to the box bottom if desired.

we claim:-

A spool holder of the character described comprising a pair of resilient legs having open lower ends and integrally connected at the top, said legs adjacent their open lower ends and upwardly therefrom being bent out slightly when in normal position, each said leg from and including the terminus of the bent out portions providing three outwardly directed substantially V-shaped contact points with said legs extending from the contact points crossing midway and to the opposite side, said V-shaped contact points being in alinement with respect to the others and adapted to receive a spool bore from the top under pressure and said spool when inserted entirely will cause the contact points and bent out portions to frictionally engage said spool bore thereby holding the spool snugly with the bent out portions vertically disposed and in alinement with the contact points.

HELEN WELLS.

RICHARD C. FRITSCHE. 

